Tatooine is a desert planet in a binary star system. It once had large oceans and a world-spanning jungle, but this biosphere was destroyed when the myopic Rakata (a careless race of amphibian-humanoids) razed the planet, drying up its riverbeds and boiling away its oceans.

Now Tatooine’s twin suns (named Tatoo I & Tatoo II) bake its surface, making water (and shade) hard to come by. The planet's indigenous lifeforms—such as the rodent-like Womp rat, elephantine bantha, and fearsome Krayt Dragon—are well-adapted to its arid climate, but human settlers often become moisture farmers and live in subterranean dwellings in order to survive. The planet's lack of resources, brutal heat, and decentralized population have made governing the planet nearly impossible.

But many rulers have tried. The evil Sith held a tight grip on Tatooine for thousands of years. When they died out, the planet fell into the clutches of the Hutts, a clan of vile gangsters. Since Tatooine was beyond the reach of the Galactic Republic (the central governing body of the galaxy), the Hutts could preside over the lawless planet with little outside interference. When the Galactic Empire subsumed the Old Republic, the new regime established only a token presence on Tatooine, which left Jabba the Hutt’s reign unchallenged. Jabba ruled the planet until Princess Leia strangled him to death aboard his personal sail barge.

Although the barren planet seems like it would be a minor asset to any ruler, Tatooine has several sizable settlements, which increase its value considerably. The largest settlement is the spaceport Mos Eisley, once described as a “wretched hive of scum and villainy” by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Tatooine’s developed areas draw the biggest crowds, but the planet has natural beauty as well. Such underappreciated geographical wonders include the Dune Sea (an enormous desert), and the Jundland Wastes (a rocky region).

Locations

Anchorhead

Bestine

Bestine, the "capital" of Tatooine, is situated far west of Mos Eisley near the south-western Dune Sea. It was also one of the earliest settlements on the planet but never thrived economically, sharing the same problems as many other settlements on the dry world. The Galactic Empire eventually established its base of operations here and placed its regional governor in the city's Main Hall. It is featured prominently in Star Wars: Galaxies.

The Dune Sea was also home to the Great Pit of Carkoon, location of the great Sarlacc creature.

Great Pit of Carkoon

The Great Pit of Carkoon is located within the Dune Sea. It is a large depression in the desert sand created by the Sarlacc, a large omnivorous creature that uses the pit to capture prey. The Great Pit of Carkoon is the site of a skirmish that takes place between Luke Skywalker and the forces of Jabba the Hutt. The Hutt crime lord and most of his minions are killed during the battle.

Jundland Wastes

The Jundland Wastes occupy most of Tatooine's temperate area, a rocky region known for its numerous cliffs and a multitude of hidden dangers.

Most of Tatooine's indigenous creatures can be found in the Jundland Wastes including, Banthas, Dewbacks, and the fearsome Krayt Dragons. The nomadic Sandpeople, also called Tusken Raiders, live in the region as well as the scavengers known as Jawas.

Obi-Wan Kenobi lived in a small dwelling on the edge of the Jundland Wastes after he took the infant Luke Skywalker to live on a moisture farm with relatives to hide the boy from Darth Vader. This area is also a level in the video game LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.

Moisture farms

Moisture farms are small agricultural settlements found in the deserts of Tatooine that utilize a large amount of moisture collecting devices spread over a wide area to harvest water from the relatively dry air of the planet. Luke Skywalker spent his early years living with his Uncle Owen (Anakin Skywalker's stepbrother) and Aunt Beru on a moisture farm. Moisture farmers harvest water vapour from the atmosphere, and use it to grow crops in underground hydroponic labs.

On Tatooine, the moisture farmer's primary enemy is the Sand People, or Tusken Raiders, who feel that moisture farmers infringe on their territory. Sand People attacks frequently result in damaged equipment.

Famous moisture farmers include Beru and Owen Lars, Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle, as well as Cliegg Lars, Owen's father.

Mos Eisley Cantina

The Mos Eisley Cantina, officially named Chalmun's Cantina, is a bar located in the pirate city of Mos Eisley. It is the haunt of freight pilots and other dangerous characters of varying races and contains booths, a bar counter, and some free-standing tables, and sometimes a band of musicians named Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. This is a busy area in the video game Star Wars Galaxies, or SWG.

Tosche Station (Toshi Station)

The Tosche Station, or Tosche Power Station, is a general store found in the city of Anchorhead. It sells a variety of goods such as power converters. Tosche Station serves as the central location in the Anchorhead Story of Star Wars, a series of scenes that were deleted from Episode IV. It is described as a frequent hangout for Anchorhead's youth due to the fact that its owner, Merle Tosche, is seldom around. In his absence, "Fixer" runs the business, accompanied by his girlfriend Camie, and assisted by a repair droid.

Tatooine in science

The California Institute of Technology reported on July 13, 2005 that Maciej Konacki, a senior postdoctoral scholar in planetary science, discovered a planet orbiting a triple-star system known as HD 188753 in the constellation Cygnus about 149 light-years from Earth. It is the first planet to be discovered orbiting a multi-star system, and Konacki refers to planets of this type as "Tatooine planets" after Luke Skywalker's home world.